Contents

Issue

We want to increase the quality of education for young people so that they are well prepared for further education, higher education and work. We want to make sure that there are high quality options for young people to undertake both academic and vocational education, including apprenticeships and traineeships.

More broadly, we want to ensure all young people have the tools and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential, regardless of background or life circumstances. We believe that all young people should have access to local and national opportunities to develop skills for life and work and to create a more responsible, engaged and cohesive society. We also want to encourage young people to have their say on issues which matter to them; and decision-makers at local and national levels to listen to them.

Together, this will help to ensure that:

more young people go on to study and gain the skills and qualifications that lead to sustainable jobs

fewer young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

more young people are involved in social action and feel they can make positive changes in society and in their own lives

Actions

Improving education

To improve the quality of education available to young people at school, we will:

Supporting more young people to study beyond the age of 16

Improving the quality of education will help to make study more attractive to young people. We will:

raise the participation age so that young people are required to remain in some form of education or training for longer. Those pupils who left year 11 in summer 2014 are the first cohort required to continue until their 18th birthday

make sure that young people receive careers advice that opens their eyes to the world of work

offer all 16 and 17 year olds a place in education or training under the September Guarantee

provide targeted financial support to young people who need it through the £180 million 16 to 19 bursary fund. Young parents will be helped to return to education by providing support with childcare costs through the Care to Learn scheme

support 16- to 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and have few qualifications to move into education or training through the Youth Contract

Providing wider opportunities

involve young people in national and local decision making through the Youth Voice programme, which includes the UK Youth Parliament, Youth Select Committee, National Scrutiny Group, focus groups and support for local youth councils and young mayors

help local authorities and the youth sector to provide high quality services that respond to the needs of young people; and help them measure and improve these services through the Centre for Youth Impact

support organisations that encourage young people to take part in democratic processes

work with Step Up To Serve to increase the number of young people aged from 10 to 20 taking part in social action

Background

Supporting more young people to study

The September Guarantee is an offer to 16 and 17 year olds a suitable place in education or training by the end of September. To be deemed as suitable, the provision must meet the needs of the young person in terms of its geographical location, type and level of learning, and occupational sector. All young people are entitled to an offer regardless of what qualifications they achieved in school.

Local authorities are responsible for having arrangements in place to track offers made to young people, and to support those who have still to find a suitable place.

In November 2011, we announced the Youth Contract, which included a new programme of support in England in 2012 to 2015 to help 16- to 17-year-olds who are NEET.

The programme aims to help 16- to 17-year-olds who:

have one or no GCSEs at A* to C

are or have been in care

are young offenders and have been released from custody

Successful providers across the country are offering support to young people who meet these criteria to move into education, an apprenticeship or work with training. The government will pay them on the basis of the results they achieve to ensure good value for money.

Providing wider opportunities

On 9 March 2011, the Department for Education and the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services hosted a Positive for Youth summit to discuss the issues facing young people. The summit brought together government ministers, representatives from the voluntary youth sector, local authority officials, the private sector and young people themselves.

National Citizen Service has tripled in size since its first full year in 2011 and already has over 70,000 graduates. Funding is in place so that NCS can continue to grow rapidly and meet its aim that every young person should have the opportunity to take part.

There is European Social Fund (ESF) provision for young people through the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) programme. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) determine the priorities for its use.

The Youth Engagement Fund aims to improve educational achievement and employability, helping to prevent young people aged 14 to 17 from becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training). The funding will be provided through social impact bonds (SIBs): investors fund innovative initiatives and government only pays if the initiatives are successful and achieve positive outcomes. Find out about 4 Youth Engagement Fund SIBs.

Who we’ve consulted

The Positive for Youth consultation sought the views of young people, businesses, representatives from the voluntary youth sector and local authorities. The consultation ran from June to September 2011.

In October 2013, we commissioned a survey of local authorities to find out about local youth services, understand any problems and identify strong practice. The findings of this work will continue to inform policy development.

Through the National Scrutiny Group and other elements of the Youth Voice programme we have consulted young people on a range of policy areas and initiatives across government.

The Youth Action Group brings together chief executives from the largest voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations working with disadvantaged young people, and advises ministers and officials on policy.